The invention relates to an apparatus for producing cigarette packs for cigarette groups which can be pushed, in full or in layers, by push rods out of shafts of a cigarette magazine, it being the case that, during the push-out movement, individual cigarettes arranged one above the other in each shaft are stored on the upper side of the push rods and, after the push rods return to a starting position, move under their own weight to a lower push-out position on a stationary surfacexe2x80x94plate.
The contents of a cigarette pack are constituted by a group of ordered cigarettes, namely cigarettes arranged in layers or rows. In order to form the cigarette group, an appropriate number of cigarettes is pushed out of individual, adjacent shafts of a cigarette magazine by push rods. The cigarettes may be pushed out in layers, but preferably in the form of a complete cigarette group with, per shaft, preferably three cigarettes located one above the other. Once the push rods have returned to a starting position, the cigarettes drop downwards under their own weight in the shafts until they reach an underlying surface or plate.
The object of the invention is to provide measures which, with careful handling of the sensitive cigarettes in terms of mechanical stressing, allow higher cycle speeds as cigarette groups are pushed out.
In order to achieve this object, the apparatus according to the invention is characterized by the following features:
a) the push rods are always displaceable above the supporting surface for the cigarettesxe2x80x94platexe2x80x94when pushing out the cigarettes and when returning to their starting position,
b) during the push-out movement of the cigarettes the push rods are displaceable at a distance above the supporting surfacexe2x80x94platexe2x80x94,
c) when returning to their starting position, the push rods are displaceable in a downward direction such that the downward movement of the cigarettes in the shafts can be initiated before the push rods return to their starting position and completed by the time the push rods have reached their end position.
The invention is based on the finding that the downward movement of the cigarettes in the shafts takes up a comparatively large amount of time if said necessary movement is initiated only once the push rods have returned fully to the starting position. In the case of the process according to the invention, a longer period of time is predetermined for the downward movement of the cigarettes because this movement cycle begins during the return movement of the push rods, the latter being moved downwards, to be precise at a speed which is higher than the dropping movement of the cigarettes. The simultaneous downward and return movement of the push rods is controlled such that, until the end position has been reached (outside the shafts), the push rods no longer come into contact with the cigarettes.
The downward movement or the downwards-directed traveling components of the push rods during the return movement is selected so that the cigarettes are able to move downwards freely without touching the push rods. The velocity component is therefore greater than the velocity of the falling cigarettes.
The apparatus according to the invention comprises a cigarette magazine with push rods which during their return movement, on account of a corresponding drive mechanism, execute a simultaneous downward movement.